ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (4 page)

Amber sighed and sunk down to her nose in the fragrant bubbles. Jade had always known how to make her feel better.  And this was working.

She could almost feel the tension draining out of her muscles and into the water, ready to be drained from her and the tub. Her long hair was pinned messily and intricately on her head to keep most of it out of the water. The hot water and steam was immensely relaxing her. She heard the door to the large bathroom open and gently close. With an effort, she opened one eye.

Her sister was so beautiful. So vivid and full of life. Amber sighed wistfully. Jade’s chestnut hair was longer than Amber’s and had been matted into dreadlocks. Artfully, she’d placed beads and bits of colorful glass here and there. 
She kind of reminds me of a human sun-catcher, all glints and flashes dancing here and there
, Amber thought dreamily.

“Aurora Dawn, if you drown in there, I am not performing CPR. You’ll have to wait for Iris to come home.” Jade’s husky laugh seemed to fill the room as it had since they were small. Amber smiled at the nickname.

“But, Cinderella, it is you who would have to clean up after me, as usual.” Amber breathed in the variety of fragrances Jade had poured liberally in her bathwater and hiked herself up to sitting in the old-fashioned, large, claw-foot tub.

“Wow… Um, the girls have grown, huh?”

“Oh, god, Jade…” Amber muttered and sank back under the bubbles to cover herself thoroughly.

Jade’s light peal of laughter echoed through the room. She busied herself in one corner and then stepped over to place a tray on the sides of the bathtub. Amber sat back up in curiosity. On the tray was a small plate of finger foods: small cheese cubes, dry round crackers, a bunch of grapes, and a glass of white wine. Tears started to well up in Amber’s eyes.

“Whoa, there, chica! Do I need to call you Dolly or Jessica Rabbit to make you feel better? Men love breasts! Women love breasts! I love breasts! Well, not yours. Iris has some marvelous ones, but you know what I mean!” Jade continued in typical Jade fashion.

Seeing Jade was undaunted and unfazed, Amber sat back up in the tub and looked back at the offerings before her. All her favorites. Comfort food. Even after eight years away, her sister knew her so well. Colby-Jack cheese cubes, oyster crackers, red grapes.  Jade strode over just then and placed the bottle of chardonnay next to the tub.

“In case you need a refill.” She leaned over the bubbles and searched her sister’s eyes for a moment. “We will talk. I love you.” And kissed her on the brow. Amber’s eyes seemed determined to overflow with tears at every opportunity. She reached out and blindly clutched the stemless wine glass. She brought it to between her breasts and stared into it, hoping its depths could reveal secrets or answers to her myriad questions.

“Oh. My. Goodness! Amber!!” A squeal came from the doorway. Before she could blink, Amber found herself wrapped in a pair of arms and being showered with kisses. “We’ve missed you! You should have visited, or maybe had a place for us to visit!” Amber’s cheeks were cupped in strong, lithe fingers. “You look tired. Doesn’t she look tired, Jade, love? Did you make up the extra room? You can stay here as long as you want. Our home is yours, darling! Our home is yours.” With a great sniff, Iris smiled a watery smile and wiped her thumbs under Amber’s eyes, “Not that you don’t know that already, dear. It’s so good to see you.”

Iris swiftly got to her feet and pulled Jade up behind her; her exuberant welcome having nearly knocked her mate into the bathwater. Briefly, they went through their evening welcoming ritual of  “hello, how are you? How was your day” and a kiss before they turned back to Amber.

Iris was the first to speak, “Please stay with us, honey. The garage apartment is untenanted and furnished. You’ll have your own space and yet be very close to us. Please, darling, do it.”

Amber clutched her wine glass closer to her chest. She stared into its depths seeking an eternal answer.  She had felt like a voyeur watching their private moment, and getting warmth and welcome from it. Suddenly her sister’s hand was directly in front of her face. She paused for just a moment, and then reached up with a bubble-coated hand and clasped it. Iris’s hand enveloped both of their hands in her own.

“I can run a lawnmower. And clean house. I’m not much good at anything else, though.”

Iris gave out a great “whoop” and scooped up some of Amber’s bubbles. She threw them into the air exuberantly. “We did it, Jade, love! We’ve finally foisted that musty old apartment onto someone! Don’t mention the leaks or the pervy neighbor until after she’s settled in, okay?” Iris threw a wink Amber’s direction and grabbed Jade’s arm. “Now, what miraculous thing did you create for Amber’s welcome home dinner?”

Their voices faded down the hallway. Amber ignored the few tears escaping her eyes; these were happy tears, at least. She carefully chose a grape and popped it in her mouth. This bath  - this place - was absolute heaven.

***

Amber walked into the kitchen carrying the now empty tray Jade had brought her.  Two heads, one bright and one dark, turned her way.

“Tonight, love, you’ll stay in the extra room here. Tomorrow we’ll initiate you into the world of leaky and lechery.” Iris wiggled her eyebrows at Amber.

“We’ll need to pick up some sheets for that bed first. And some towels. Tenants always provided their own linens. “ Jade remarked. “The mall opens at ten. Ever trusty Walmart is open earlier, though, and I can get groceries for the pantries.”

“I can get my own linens and groceries. I’m not destitute. I have some money.” Amber broke in, defensively.

“Love, we’re not saying you can’t take care of yourself.” Iris soothed.

“Actually,” Jade interjected, “she has lots and lots and lots of money that she refuses to touch.”

“It’s not mine. I don’t want it.”

“It is yours, and only yours. You are the only one it belongs to.”

“I won’t take it.”

Iris interrupted before the argument got out of hand. “Stop. Talk about the insurance money another time; let’s get through today. Amber, do you mean your squirrel money?”

Amber nodded, still looking at her sister warily, as if Jade would suddenly pull out buckets of money and force them upon her.

“Don’t touch your squirrel money, sweetheart. Leave it be. We’ll get use out of you and the things we purchase for you. We’ll get our money’s worth; I promise.”

Iris always had been able to step in between them and soothe feathers almost before they could get ruffled.

Amber eased into a kitchen chair. Jade stood up, took the tray from the table, and began to refill the empty wine glass.

“Oh, no, please. Just water. If I drink any more I may just pass out. I think I just want to go to bed soon. It’s been a long day.” Amber put her elbows on the table, and her head in her hands.

“Well, let’s just make that happen, sweetie,” Iris said.

Iris and Jade’s extra room was tiny. Just large enough for a full size bed and a bedside table. They’d tucked a small set of drawers in the closet to add room. Amber thought it cozy and welcoming just the same. She pulled the smooth sheets up over her head and closed her eyes. Her last thoughts as she drifted off were of gold-flecked eyes, a solid, warm chest, and heat flaring in her belly.

Iris summoned them all to the dining area with one lilting cry.  Amber had been in her room, but didn’t know what to do with herself that morning. This call to breakfast had given her an out. She could leave her room and still save face.

Amber stepped into the hallway in pajama pants and a tank top. Three steps down the hardwood floors, Jade joined her. Jade smiled sleepily and threw her arm about her younger sister’s, “Mornin’, doll. The tyrant has spoken. We must awake!”

The two of them padded into the kitchen; obviously in her element, Iris waved a spatula at them and royally bid them to be seated.  The sisters slid themselves onto barstools, and smiled at her.

Iris brandished her spatula! “Today, Flynn-ladies, we are having French toast and strawberries a la Irideae!”

With a twitch of her hips, she spun around and flipped some bread onto plates. A flourish and a smile sent the plates sailing into place in front of the Flynn girls, who grinned at each other and praised their chef.

Iris smiled proudly as they dug into their plates. She made eye contact with Jade. Iris nodded. She untied her apron bow and leaned on the counter to watch her Flynns partake of the meal set before them.

Amber groaned as she pushed her unfinished portion away from her seat. “Iris, if I eat any more, I’ll gain more weight. Lord knows I need to diet. Take this sinful stuff away!” Instead of orange juice or coffee, Amber reached for the glass of iced water that had been set before her place. She was proud of her attempts to withstand Iris’s temptations. The lady had attended culinary school. She knew which olfactory and salivary buttons to push if she wanted to.

Whilst they ate, they chatted of inconsequential matters: who had married whom, the babies born to which couples, the arrests, the fights, the betrothals, the deaths. At the end, Amber was a bit numb with the amount of information she had absorbed, but knew that if she concentrated, she could say the appropriate things to the influential people in town.

“Okay,” she said, pushing away her half-empty plate, “show me the garage apartment.”

***

Being in the main part of town, Scentsibilities was in the front several rooms of a large Victorian home. Iris and Jade had easily converted the upstairs into their living quarters keeping only their kitchen and breakfast nook downstairs. Outside, what had once been a small carriage house was now a one-car garage with an apartment above it. The apartment could be reached by a stairway that stretched the length of the building. As the apartment’s door didn’t face the house, the illusion of separation was complete. Amber had only been in the store and in their living quarters before she had left town. She hadn’t even known of the existence of the garage apartment.

“For the driver, you know, darling.” Iris explained expansively, as they walked arm-in-arm towards the stairwell. “This house and the greenbelt behind it were owned by the Anders family – they who founded our little town. The womenfolk couldn’t drive themselves around, no! So a driver – first with carriage, then with a car – had to be on staff at all times. I am sure he was quite manly.” She batted her eyelashes at Amber who laughed aloud.

They paused at the top of the stairs so Jade could unlock the door. Amber looked around. From this landing, which was large enough to hold a bistro table if she so desired, she could see the entire backyard and deep into the greenbelt.

“How big do the dogs get around here?” she asked staring into the trees and undergrowth.

Jade and Iris looked startled. “Um,” Iris replied. “What do you mean? Why?”

“Oh. I thought I just saw a huge dog out there in the trees.” Amber said, pointing. She turned and looked into the apartment. “It’s big!”

“Well, it’s the same size as the garage – which is large enough since it used to be a carriage house and stable for the family. And the owners didn’t see any need to actually partition off any rooms for their driver, so it’s a loft apartment, before they were cool, of course. We’ve made some changes, as we lived here while we were remodeling the main house.”

Amber looked around.  Fully furnished, the ladies had stepped into a conversation area intended as a living room.  It held a couch and a couple of chairs around a large trunk, but no tv.  Off to one side of that, the single-wall kitchen was separated from the living area by a table that could double as counter space.  Two chairs were pushed up under one side of the table.  Amber walked further into the space. At the end of the kitchen, a glass brick cubicle had been built which let lots of light through into the main areas. She poked her head into its door and spotted an old claw-foot tub, but modern toilet and sink; definitely Jade’s handiwork. She grinned over her shoulder at her sisters.

“Well, previous owners obviously didn’t care if the driver had any kind of privacy for cleanliness, but wanted him clean. We took care of the privacy.” Jade said with a shrug.

Amber continued her tour. Filling the fourth corner of the open space was a queen size brass bed and an eclectic mix of bedroom furniture. A painted dresser with mirror reflected in more natural lighting, while a tall armoire provided delineation between living room and bedroom and its more traditional role as closet space.

“It’s wonderful. What’s my rent, and where’s the leak and the pervy guy?”

Iris laughed. “Direct. That’s our Amber. Rent we’ll figure out. It’s been empty for a bit, so we’re not missing that income. The leak is from the window in the bathroom area. Every time it rains, that wall becomes a small waterfall. And, Mr. Perv is over here.” They walked to the “bedroom” window. Directly outside was a large tree with a hollow just above window level. “At night, if you aren’t prepared for it, you’ll be quite startled by the large brown owl staring back at you when you look out here. We call him Herbert. Large eyes glinting through your window as you’re changing can be disconcerting. Just remember that this window faces the greenbelt, and no one can see in unless they’re quite determined.”

“Ready for Walmart?” Jade asked.

Was this the “time” for grocery shopping? Did the rumor mill grind out that Amber Flynn was back in town and at Walmart therefore everyone desperately needed something from there right then?? Amber nearly despaired of ever getting their errand finished. She thought they’d run into every one of the people she’d graduated high school with or their mothers, met two-dozen scruffy, loud children, and politely avoided a thousand questions. Her head hurt.

They’d managed to get through the sheets and towels section, pick up a couple of essential pots and pans, plates and cups, and were headed to the health care section when they were stopped once again.

“Well, hello, ladies.” A large, meaty hand placed itself on the edge of their cart, bringing them to an abrupt halt.

Jade’s eyes and voice, usually animated, flattened out. “Hello, Tim. However are the city’s streets safe without you on your patrol? You should get right back out there quickly.”

Tim’s eyes scanned Jade’s lithe figure. She bristled a bit under his gaze. He turned his attention to Amber. “Speaking of safety, did you get your car off the side of the road? It’s a hazard out there. Dangerous to other drivers.”

“I did.” Amber replied, feeling the antagonism between her sister and this man. “I didn’t understand the ticket, though. I went right back to the car. It wasn’t even an hour and a half later. Surely that’s not long enough for the definition of an ‘abandoned’ car.”

Tim smiled patronizingly down at her, which also afforded him a very nice view of cleavage. “Well, of course not, but tell me honestly, were you planning on calling me anytime soon?”

Amber just blinked at him.

“Of course you weren’t. You said you wanted to get settled in. I didn’t want to wait that long. Have a beer with me tonight. We’ll take care of that ticket and make you feel right comfortable and welcome.”

With his dimples at full beam, Tim probably thought his charm was overwhelming her, but all Amber was feeling was slight nausea. She exchanged a glance with Jade, who nodded ever so slightly and rolled her eyes.

“Oh-kay. I can go have a beer. And the ticket will be gone?”

“We’ll take care of it, sweet thing.” Tim’s every word seemed to become more and more smarmy to Amber. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“No! No, that’s all right. I’d prefer to drive. Where can I meet you?”

“It isn’t wise. I should drive you. I’ll be your designated driver; then you can have all the fun you want – get nice and relaxed.”

“I rarely drink more than a glass or two. I prefer being the driver, myself. Would you like me to pick you up? Or we can meet. One of those options.” Amber stood her ground. She heard a very soft
atta-girl
from her sister behind her.

Tim wasn’t going to be caught dead in the rattletrap she’d been driving earlier. “We can meet. Prospector’s Den. It’s out on Highway 79. “He reached for Amber’s hand which was resting on the cart’s push handle.

She froze, desperately not wanting him to touch her. Jade, again, came to her rescue.

Jade’s graceful hand patted Amber’s. “Let’s go, Am. We still have some errands to run before you can go meet Barney Fife here at the watering hole.” She smiled innocently his direction and pushed the cart forward with one hip.

Tim’s smile and dimples stayed plastered in place until the two sisters had passed. Then his eyes narrowed and he looked his fill at the ladies as they walked away. The younger sister had a much fuller figure than he preferred, but it’d be worth the mark on his bedpost to give her the ride of her life tonight. He, too, had a few errands to see to.

***

“But I don’t want to dress up. I just want to go dressed as I am. What’s wrong with the clothes I’m wearing?” Amber protested.

“Nothing, darling,” Iris called as she continued hanging up clothes in the armoire. “But you want Deputy Dawg to be thinking about your assets, so he’ll sign off on that ticket.”

“And how does that work? Hasn’t he already turned in the records? Don’t I have to deal with the county court now?” Amber was getting frustrated. There seemed to be just as many of her clothes being placed on the newly-made bed as there were being put away.

“I don’t know, Amber. That’s what you’re trying to find out. Distract him with your generous girls. I’d love to have girls like those!” Jade spun Amber around and held up a couple of different shirts in front of her to assess them.

“Okay. I know I’m foolish, but how are the two of you going to choose my clothes for this date? I’m trying to distract a male.”

Peals of laughter met her question.

“What?!”

“Darling, attraction is attraction. If you look gorgeous to me, and I want to jump your bones – figuratively speaking, of course, I’m taken – then you’ll look gorgeous to him, and he won’t be able to help himself.” Iris laughed.

“Well, now I feel dumb.” Amber muttered.

“Don’t,” Jade smiled into her eyes, “it’s a common misconception. We’re either attracted to every female and can’t keep our hands off any female OR we’re peculiar and want manly females. People can’t seem to understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can see a handsome male and think he is attractive without wanting to go and have sex with him. Iris is my love. She is the only person I want to touch and hold and arouse. I’m pretty sure it’s the same for hetero couples. That’s why they say, ‘I’m married, not blind,’ right?” Jade stuffed a blouse into Amber’s hand. “This one.”

“With this.” Iris placed a skirt in Amber’s other hand. “We might let you choose your own shoes as long as they aren’t the ones you’re currently wearing. And, we’re letting you fix your own hair and make-up as you’ve always done that brilliantly.”

The couple beamed at her and then went and plopped themselves down on the sofa in the conversation area. Amber shrugged and began changing clothes.

Near the foot of the bed, Iris had placed a full-length mirror. Amber twirled in front of it to the applause of her appreciative audience.

“You’ve always had such a way with colors, darling. That blouse makes her skin just glow.” Iris praised.

“Oh, and that skirt you picked out! Perfect! Look at those legs! Rowr!” Jade waggled her eyebrows at Amber, who giggled.

She had to admit; she felt…fetching. She’d never felt attractive or beautiful a day in her life that she could ever recall. And she’d never even tried for alluring or seductive. But, today, she felt like eyes could be upon her and that would be an okay thing. She’d even enjoy it.

She had on a black, bell-shaped skirt. Flirty, it had a vee-cut slit partially up one leg. The whole thing was layered over with lace that flared and fell past the end of the edge of the skirt. The ladies had paired it with a lightweight, chiffon yellow blouse that buttoned up the front, but still managed to have a plunging neckline. On her feet were her favorite nude-colored pumps, which she felt made her legs appear to go on and on. She had accentuated the curl in her chestnut hair, and the shape of her eyes. She added a touch of gloss to her lips and turned back to her smiling public.

“Well?”

The looks on their faces said it all. She dabbed perfume on each wrist, behind each ear, and between her breasts. Amber took a deep breath and declared herself ready to go.